The present invention relates to a method and machine for the production of filter elements which can constitute component parts of filter cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos.
It is known that a so-called labyrinth filter element constitutes a very effective means for intercepting deleterious ingredients of tobacco smoke. Nevertheless, such filter elements are not used in filter cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos because all heretofore known methods and machines for their manufacture are too expensive, too complex or too slow. The cost of presently known labyrinth filter elements is so high that they contriubute excessively to the cost of smokers' products, i.e., filter-tipped smokers' products containing presently known labyrinth filter elements could not compete with other types of filter-tipped smokers' products. This is due to the fact that the presently known methods are not suited for mass-production of labyrinth filter elements which consist of a relatively cheap starting material; the making of labyrinth filter elements from such material is tantamount to piecework. On the other hand, the cost of starting materials (primarily synthetic plastic substances) which are suited for the production of labyrinth filter elements at a reasonably high rate in accordance with presently known techniques is excessive.